Foods flagging their protein content have been a big growth area in New Zealand supermarkets with brands going all-in on the consumer trend.
The nutrient-enhanced goods promote multiple claimed health benefits. But some experts question whether they are necessary, or even good for us.
Founder of Rise Growth Lab Rebecca Brook said while the protein craze kicked off in the gym community, it is no longer solely muscle-growth driven. Many food and drink brands now market their products widely.
“It was gym athlete muscle-maintenance or muscle-building, then it evolved more into healthy aging, and it might be satiety - feeling fuller for longer, muscle maintenance, hormone balancing," she explained.
"Certain types of protein are for skin health or gut health, there's even products now talking about its benefit on the brain."
Midlife muscle mass
Nutritionist Claire Turnbull said protein-based foods are particularly helpful for people going through menopause and appetite fluctuations later in life.
"There's a lot of conversations around perimenopause and menopause and part of that midlife is making sure that you maintain your muscle mass.
"As you get older, you might have a smaller appetite, but actually you need quite a lot of protein as you're aging. Some of these protein-boosted products may be helpful for people with smaller appetites."
However, the influence of protein-filled goods is sometimes exaggerated, and some brands have taken advantage of the international trend to capitalise on marketing strategies.
Brook said some food companies make slight changes to their products in order to earn that "high-protein" label.
"What we see is the multinational brands coming in and really reformulating existing products that are trusted to include protein to really scale that trend," she said.
Turnbull believes the increase in protein-specific products is due to sales propaganda convincing people their processed foods are healthier.
'Marketing campaign'
"It is really a big marketing campaign that's happened around this interest in protein," she said.
"But you can absolutely get enough protein through just eating the normal protein-rich foods that we've known for years and years and years - through your meat products, fish, eggs, your chickpeas, all the other lentils and pulses, nuts and seeds."
One pitfall of the health craze is some people are beginning to prioritise buying protein snacks and goods that aren't natural, looking for labelled convenience.
The best way to reach nutrient goals remains with all-natural products, with Turnbull saying we need to remember that processed foods - protein-rich or not - aren't completely healthy.
"The key focus is just going back to the basics and going to the whole food, simple sources of protein."
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